fredtt-64099 Reviews

Prospect (2018)

Superb Sci Fi - best for many years.

[9/10 · 23 April 2021]

Undoubtedly one of the best science fiction films I have seen in the past 10 years and all accomplished on what I assume to be a very modest budget. Not that you would ever know that, because the acting, design, VFXs, script and direction are all first-class. It has the look and feel of classic science fiction films like Silent Running or Alien, with a tangibly chunky, retro, industrial aesthetic which adds a real layer of believability to this tale of frontier prospectors, desperately searching an alien world for extra-terrestrial bounty. It's essential a western script transplanted to space, but it's carried off which such skill and dexterity, that you are glued to the screen right through to the nail-biting final showdown. The acting is top rate - Pedro Pascal of Mandalorian fame in turn menacing and sympathetic and Sophie Thatcher is a real find, who will no doubt go on to great things. As a science fiction fan I cannot recommend this more heartily - a pleasure to watch from start to finish.

Pusher (1996)

Full octane Danish crime thriller.

[8/10 · 21 April 2021]

Nicolas Winding Refn's first film has all the flare and volatility of his later work, but in a much more rough and ready style. The film follows a Danish drug dealer over the course of a week as his world slowly collapses after a deal gone wrong. It's an intense experience right from the off, lots of foul language, bad behaviour and the ever present threat of violence always looming. The acting is top notch, the characters feel very real (you identify with them despite their flaws) and the style is very immersive and visceral. It's easy to see why this film was a big financial success and established Refn's reputation as a maverick filmmaker.

Sideshow (2020)

Dark, funny and very British!

[8/10 · 21 April 2021]

This dark British comedy is about an old, down on his luck, psychic who has to rely on his stage craft (or possibly real psychic powers) to fend off two robbers who have broken into his house. If you're a fan of British comedy then there's a lot here to enjoy. There's a good cast with a nice supporting role for Anthony Head of Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Giles fame, the script has plenty of twists and turns, as the cat and mouse plot unfolds over the course of a single night and there's a nice, final, final twist that will catch most by surprise. The opening does take it's time, setting up the characters, but it also sets up lots of future revelations which pay off later in the film. Overall it delivers enough laughs, suspense and intrigue for a fun and enjoyable evening's entertainment.

Breach (IV) (2020)

Awful, just awful.

[2/10 · 20 April 2021]

A cheap Alien rip off that is awful in almost every department. An uninspired, derivative script, dull direction, clunky design, terrible make-up and effects, the whole thing screams amateur hour. Sadly it's not a so bad it's good situation, more so bad it's boring. What on earth Bruce Willis & Thomas Jane are doing in this is beyond me? I guess that's where the budget went. Avoid at all costs, just go and watch Alien again instead.

Nobody (I) (2021)

Above average action but nothing new...

[7/10 · 18 April 2021]

This film has been widely compared to the John Wick franchise and it's easy to see why. It has the same bone crunchingly visceral action sequences involving multiple casualties, the same professional killer reluctantly coming out of retirement plotline and mainly takes place in the same style of urban, industrial, neon landscapes. The main difference is perhaps in the choice of lead actor, Bob Odenkirk is an unlikely choice for this type of role, but he plays the action hero very effectively and adds some interesting layers to his character (although anything must seem like a step down after Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad). The film doesn't take itself particularly seriously, which helps offset some of the more outlandish and unrealistic story elements and there are some genuinely funny moments. The action is very well done, with an early fight on a bus a particularly stand out, but by the end of the film and the inevitable climatic showdown, the whole thing unfortunately descends into familiar tropes and uninspiring set pieces, not quite delivering on the earlier promise.

Doors (I) (2021)

A good premise that isn't delivered.

[4/10 · 17 April 2021]

This film held a lot of promise, the basic premise of strange, unexplained, alien doors appearing all over the world, leading to much of the population disappearing was an intriguing one and could have delivered so much more. I was hoping for a smart, cerebral sci-fi in the same territory of Solaris, but in the end it all came across as bit incoherent and rambling. The structure, made up of a series of short films, didn't help - although each section was linked by the over-arching theme, they seemed to lack any other connection and with an entirely new cast and narrative turning up every twenty minutes or so, the whole film had no coherence or continuity. There were some strong individual concepts and ideas, but they just weren't given time to develop into anything more than brief vignettes. The cast were decent and did what they could and there were some nice VFXs and production values but the script just wasn't strong enough and the end product didn't match up to the ambition of the filmmakers.

Willy's Wonderland (2021)

Totally crazy - cult classic written all over it.

[8/10 · 17 April 2021]

So, the plot is basically, stranger (Nic Cage) gets duped by evil locals into spending the night cleaning a former theme restaurant, occupied by various assorted demonic children's animal characters. It sounds stupid, and I guess it is, but this is one of those bat s**t movies where the plot is really irrelevant to the whole experience. It's all about Nic Cage doing one of his crazy Nic Cage performance (he doesn't utter a word for the entire movie), but I have to say it really works! A turn like this in a big budget action / horror film would just look stupid, but Cage and the filmmakers know exactly what they're doing; they keep everything low budget & garage enough to find the sweet spot between not taking yourself too seriously and not treating everything with utter contempt. The result is a very enjoyable, silly, messy, OTT late night, grindhouse popcorn movie that's surely destined to become a cult classic.

Sound of Metal (2019)

Smart, intelligent drama.

[8/10 · 16 April 2021]

This film can be simply viewed as a straightforward story of a heavy metal drummer who is thrown into turmoil when he loses his hearing, but it's so much more than that. Underneath the matter of fact narrative lie of jumble of greater and more profound musings on the purpose of life, the perceived limits of disability and the transitory nature of love and relationships. It's all very skilfully crafted and constructed by the filmmakers and is dominated by a powerful and compelling performance from Riz Ahmed, who conveys the chaotic and disorienting inner turmoil of his character quite brilliantly. The ending wisely avoids presenting a neatly wrapped up, crowd pleasing transformational moment and opts for something much more ambiguous which only lends the preceding events even greater poignancy and leaves you pondering various aspects and events from the film for some time afterwards. A very smart and intelligent piece of filmmaking all round.

Ready or Not (I) (2019)

Fun horror comedy that doesn't take itself too seriously.

[6/10 · 15 April 2021]

This film certainly doesn't break any new ground, but if horror comedies are your thing, then this is a perfect popcorn movie for a rainy evening in. Once the set-up is done, it's basically just one long chase movie, where the crazed in-laws of a newly married bride attempt to hunt her down in a deadly game of hide & seek. Samara Weaving turns in a very good performance in the lead role, effectively portraying the change from lovestruck innocent to bad-ass, battle weary heroine. There's plenty of gory violence & gags to keep audiences interested, although it's never that genuinely scary or tense - but because it doesn't take itself too seriously, it gets away with it. A decent supporting cast with the likes of Adam Brody and Andie MacDowell seem to be having a lot of fun with the material and while it's not in the same class as say an Evil Dead II or Shaun of the Dead, there's still a lot to enjoy.

Riders of Justice (2020)

Funny & dark Danish crime film.

[8/10 · 14 April 2021]

There's a lot going on in this Danish black comedy which follows a hard-as-nails soldier seeking revenge for the death of his wife in a supposed train accident. He's aided in his investigations by a group nerdish, social misfits who bring a heap of skills and dysfunction with them. There's an awful lot going on in the clever script: father daughter relationships, social alienation, the interplay of probability and coincidence, as well as the usual action & violence you'd expect in a film of this type. Perhaps it's a little too much content in places - the tone of the film veers wildly & disconcertingly sometimes, but overall the writing, acting & ideas are so strong that you just go with it. The cast is great - Mads Mikkelsen holds it all together with another tremendously enigmatic screen performance and is ably supported by a strong ensemble. There's plenty of laugh out loud moments, emotional engagement and shoot outs to keep the whole thing racing along & even if it's fairly obviously where things are going to end up, it's a very enjoyable ride getting there nevertheless. A notch above most other action films.

Assassins (I) (2020)

Gripping documentary that plays like a spy thriller.

[9/10 · 14 April 2021]

The subject of this documentary is definitely one of those cases of truth being stranger than fiction. I won't go into the details of the story, as this is a film you should approach knowing as little as possible about in order to maximise the surprise and tension generated by its twisting and turning narrative, but broadly it concerns the assassination of a North Korean exile and the subsequent trial of those accused of his murder. The documentary is very well constructed, with the information on the various individuals involved being slowly drip fed, flash back style, over the events of the trial itself. It has the pacing and structure of a classic 70s spy thriller - although this plot is so outlandish it would be deemed preposterous if it weren't actual true. The access to the various participants is excellent & the makers have gathered a wealth of video from CCTV, news & social media to supplement their own footage, so as a viewer it never feels like you are being short changed. It is all very one sided; its clear where the filmmaker's sympathies lie, but then again the North Koreans were never going to participate in a film like this. All in all this documentary is every bit as enjoyable as a regular drama / thriller & keeps you on the edge of your seat right until the end - I would highly recommend it.